Bionovo to Present Recent Findings of BN107, its Anticancer Agent, at the 31st Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

EMERYVILLE, Calif., December 12, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bionovo, Inc. will present findings on the mechanism of action of its anti-cancer agent BN107 at the 31st Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium being held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio TX, December 10-14, 2008.

Bionovo's poster presentation will describe the pathway for cancer cell apoptosis (cell death) induced by BN107. As explained by Dr. Emma Shtivelman, Director of Cancer Research at Bionovo, the ability of BN107 to induce cancer cell death is distinct. BN107 induces apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. BN107 induces death only in estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells. Our studies show that cholesterol depletion and disruption of lipid raft-mediated signaling is most likely responsible for the pro-apoptotic effect of BN107.

"BN107 mechanism of action and unique selective properties are a result of some of the biological differences exhibited uniquely by cancer cells. We believe BN107 will result in better selectivity to hormone independent tumors. Currently the only available treatment for this group, constituting 40% of women diagnosed with breast cancer, is chemotherapy. BN107, an oral drug candidate, should provide a chronic treatment option with a low toxicity profile," said Dr. Isaac Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Bionovo

Bionovo, Inc.

Bionovo is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of safe and effective treatments for women's health and cancer, markets with significant unmet needs and billions in potential annual revenue. The company applies its expertise in the biology of menopause and cancer to design new drugs derived from botanical sources which have novel mechanisms of action. Based on the results of early and mid-stage clinical trials, Bionovo believes they have discovered new classes of drug candidates within their rich pipeline with the potential to be leaders in their markets. Bionovo is headquartered in Emeryville, California and is traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol, "BNVI". For more information about Bionovo and its programs, visit: http://www.bionovo.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of Bionovo, Inc. that can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including uncertainties relating to product development, efficacy and safety, regulatory actions or delays, the ability to obtain or maintain patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, market acceptance, physician acceptance, third party reimbursement, future capital requirements, competition in general and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at http://www.sec.gov. Bionovo, Inc. is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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